Self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus



ENSING APPARATUS Dec. 25, 1956 F. L. \NAITE SELF-LEVELING, STORING ANDDISP 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 9, 1952 INVENTOR FRED L. WAITE BY miwATTORNEY F. L. WAlTE Dec. 25, 1956 SELF-LEVELING, STORING AND DISPENSINGAPPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 9, 1952 INVENTOR FRED L. WAITE[mm/5 M ATTORNEY Dec. 25, 1956 F, WAITE 2,775,352

SELF-LEVELING, STORING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 9, 1952 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR FRED L.WA|TE ATTO R N EY United States PatentSELF-LEVELING, STORING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Fred Lee Waite, FreshMeadows, N. Y., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, acorporation of New Jersey Application February 9, 1952, Serial No.270,796

4 Claims. (Cl. 211-134) This invention relates to self leveling, storingand dispensing apparatus, and particularly to apparatus for storingarticles which are normally not suited for being stacked upon oneanother.

Heretofore, in places where space is at a premium such as supermarkets,it has been necessary to spread many articles which are not suited forbeing stacked, around the floor. For example, cola beverages packaged insix bottle take-away units had to be stored in their original shippingboxes or else removed and spread across the floor since they tended tobecome wobbly if stacked one above the other. The same difficulty wasalso found in storing soft goods such as cake, bread, buns, etc. whichwould become crushed'if stored in stacked arrangement. In the case ofthe latter goods it was frequently the practice to use shelves with theresult that much space was often wasted.

It is an object of this invention to provide a storing and dispensingdevice which will enable articles such as those just mentioned to beneatly and compactly stacked without danger of damage to the articles,and at. the same time, to place such articles within easy reach of theconsumer.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a self leveling,storing and dispensingapparatus which will be of simple design and lowcost construction. and yet will be sufficiently rugged and sturdy so asto hold the contents of several cases of stacked cola bottles.

Another object of this invention is to provide a self leveling, storingand dispensing apparatus which will be adaptable for storing relativelyheavy articles which are not readily adaptable for being stacked upononeanother by using separating partitions to bind the stacked articlestogether. 7

A further object is to provide a method for storing material in bulk ona self leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus by binding theloadtogether to give it stability when stored in superimposed layers. bymeans of separating partitions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a self leveling, storinganddispensingapparatus which has separating partitions incorporated inthe self leveling dispensing rack in such manner that the partitions areeasily stacked at the top of the self leveling unit after they haveserved their purpose and will be so secured to the self levelingdispenser that they secure the stacked material to the'self levelingdispenser.

Another object of this invention is to provide separating partitionswhich ride up and down freely on guides forming part of the selfleveling dispenser while maintaining frictional contact between theseparating partitions and the. guide at a minimum.

Other objectsand features of the invention will appear as thedescription; of the particular physical embodiment selected toillustrate the invention. progresses. In. the accompanying drawings,which form. apart of. this specification, like characters of referencehave been applied we C partition illustrating one of the collapsiblelegsupports of the same.

Figure 5 is an isometric view of a modified form of the novel selfleveling, storing and dispensing apparatus.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional side elevation of the separatingpartitions usedin the modified self leveling dispenser illustrating theflexible guide means for said partitions.

With reference to the drawings, the self leveling, storing anddispensing apparatus illustrated consists of twdsuitably shaped tubularframe members Ill and 12 which, at convenient and suitable points, arewelded together to form a sturdy and lightweight supporting frame forthe apparatus. The two top, aswell as the two bottom loops, of framemembers ill-and 12 are furthermore connected by a pair of horizontallymounted rectangular plates 14 arranged in such a manner as to form thetop andbottom support of a vertical column or post 16 employed for thepurpose of supporting and guiding a cantilever arm 18 (Fig. 2).

The cantilever arm 18 consists of a pair of suitably bent and spacedtubularmembers 20 which are connected by means of two studs 22. Eachstud 22 carries a loosely mounted roller 24'. The two rollers 24 havingconcave peripheries are arranged to ride in the center between the twospaced members 20 and are spaced in such a manner that one roller willcontact the vertical front portion while the other roller will contactthe vertical rear portion of the post.16.

Two spaced, horizontally arranged tubular supporting bars 26 and 28are'welded to members 20 to which is suitably attached a horizontalcarrier platform 36. A lug 32 is welded to each of the members 20 (Figs.2 and 3). Lugs 32 both support and carry a horizontal pin or rod 34 to.eachprotruding end of which is hooked the lower end of a balance spring36. The upper endof each balance spring is secured to the underside ofthe upper plate 14 byineans of a lug 38 and a screw 40. The ends ofsupporting bar 26 extend beyond the sides of upright frame 10 to preventangular rotation of platform 30.

Springs 36 are of a design calibrated for the type load or articles tobe supported on the carrier platform 30 so that the articles on thecarrier are balanced and the top layer is maintained at substantiallythe same height regardless of whether layers of articles of the sametype are added to or removed from the articles stacked in the dispensingapparatus. Where only a portion of a layer is added to or removed fromthe stack, it causes the carrier to travel only a distance proportionalto the height of a layer of articles.

In order to make this self leveling apparatus available for storing softgoods or goods with soft tops, such as cakes, pies, etc., the dispenserillustrated in the drawings is provided with a plurality of separatorplates 452. Each separator plate 42 is provided with two ears or eyelets44- each of which engages loosely with a suitably bent guide rod 46, theupper end of which is secured at- 7-7 to the upper loop of frame member12. The lowerend of each rod 46 is welded at 46' to the lower horizontaloop of frame member 10.

The two guide rods 46 are spaced exactly parallel to each other and arealso'arranged so as to cause no intertubular supporting member'48 whichprojects from and which is welded or integral with the upper loop offrame member 12.

Each separator plate 42, on its bottom side, is provided with aplurality of collapsible legs or supports 50, each of which on one endis loosely pivoted to a pin 52, each of which is held by a U-shapedsupporting member 54, all of which are properly spaced and secured tothe bottom side of each separator plate 42. The end of each supportingleg 50, which projects into the U-shaped supporting member 54, isprovided with a curved portion 56 (Fig. .4). This causes each leg 50without further attentionto assume a vertical position as the respectiveseparator plate 42 is moved by the operator from the stack on top of theapparatus onto the carrier platform 30.

The use of the separator plates 42 in conjunction with their legsupports 50 permits the placing of several layers of soft goods on theapparatus without said layers touching each other or crushing theirdelicate top surface. If desired and if the nature of the goods to beplaced in the apparatus permits, the separator plates 42 may be usedwithout the benefit of the leg supports 50 which, incidentally, fold orswing flat against the bottom side of each plate when the latter isstacked on the upper portion of the apparatus (Fig. 2).

In order to check the top level of the carrier platform 30, a pair ofstop pins 58 projecting from the vertical portions of frame member 10are provided. Said stop pins engage with the ends of the tubularplatform supporting member 26 when the carrier platform 30 reaches itsuppermost position. To eliminate the possibility of the articles beingpushed accidentally too far backward to interfere with the balancesprings 36, a pair of spaced, vertical shields 60 is provided. Saidshields, at their upper ends 78, are attached to the upper loop 79 offrame member 10, while the lower end 80 of said shields are secured tothe lower plate 14.

The self leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus illustrated inFigure is of the same construction as the one disclosed in Figures 1, 2,and 3 with the exception of the mounting and other detailed constructionof the separator portions which permit and facilitate the storing anddispensing of merchandise and articles such as bottles, etc. Due to theshape of their top surface such articles cannot normally be stacked oneach other in a self leveling dispenser. I have found that it ispossible to store such articles in a self leveling dispenser by usingpartitions without leg supports between the layers of such articles.

As mentioned above, the modified dispensing apparatus itself is of thesame construction as the one disclosed in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 andtherefore its structural parts carry the same reference characters. Themodified dispenser is provided with slightly different separatorpartitions 70 which have no leg supports and may be made from anysuitable material which is of a fiat shape such as aluminum, cardboard,masonite, etc.

Each partition 70 adjacent to one edge is provided with a pair of lugsor clips 72 which are secured by rivets or other means to said board.The lugs 72 are provided with loops 74 projecting from one edge of saidpartitions and each loop carries a ring 76 which engages with one of therods 46. i

The rings 76 are of suitable size to permit free movement of the sameover and along the guide rods 46 so that each separator partition caneasily be moved from the stack S on top of the dispenser to the articleson the carrier platform 30 while filling the dispenser. When thedispenser is being unloaded the separator partitions are moved from thetop of the articles to the stack S.

The use of flat separator plates as shown in Figure 5 results ineliminating waste space in and assures a greater capacity of thedispenser and at the same time permits 4 the stacking of conical orsimilar shaped articles which could not be arranged in layers withoutsuch separator plates.

It has been found that the weight of the material stacked on theseparators so effectively binds the material together that a verticalstack has considerable stability and there is for all practical purposesno strain on the rings 76. By stabilizing the load in this manner and bythe use of free floating rings 76, applicant has eliminated frictionalproblems between the material supported in the self leveling dispenserand the supporting guides or side walls of a self leveling dispenser.

Since the top as well as the bottom sides of the separator partitionsare smooth and unobstructed, they may be advantageously used for displayadvertising. This is especially effective when they are in stackedposition on top of the dispenser as shown in Figure 5. This advertisingmatter A may be integral with or otherwise suitably attached to thesurfaces of the separator partitions.

While I have shown the dispensing apparatus as being mounted on a basehaving legs, one may also mount the storing and dispensing apparatus ona wall so that the base can be omitted.

The invention hereinbefore described may be varied in constructionwithin the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected toillustrate the invention is' but one of many possible embodiments of thesame. The invention, therefore is not to be restricted to the precisedetails of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

l. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a base,an upright secured to said base, a cantilever platform extendingoutwardly from said upright and tracking thereon, a tension springconnected to said cantilever platform for applying a counterbalancingforce thereto which is proportional to the amount of weight supported onsaid platform to maintain the top thereof at a constant level despitechanges in the amount of material stacked on the dispenser, separatingpartitions adapted to be stacked at the top of the self-levelingdispensing apparatus, and guides mounted on said upright to which saidpartitions are slideably connected to restrain said partitions to avertical path of travel when placed in between layers of materialstacked on said self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus.

2. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a base,an upright extending upwardly from Said base, a pair of bars bentsubstantially in the form of an L and having the upward leg of each barpositioned on opposite sides of said upright, a roller mounted be tweensaid bars to track on one side of said upright, a second roller mountedbetween said bars to track on the opposite side of said upright, ahorizontal cantilever platform secured to said bars to ride up and downin a plane parallel to said upright, means engaging with said platformto prevent said platform from rotating about said upright whiletraveling up and down, calibrated tension springs connected to apply acounterbalancing force to said bars varying in proportion to the weightor the material supported on said platform to maintain the upper layerthereof at a constant predetermined elevation, guide members arrangedparallel to said upright, separating partitions mounted for slidingmovement on said guide members, said partitions being of a shape andsize which is co-extensive with the layers of material placed on saidcantilever platform to tie in and separate each layer of materialsupported on said cantilever platform.

3. A storage apparatus comprising, a base, a verticaitrack positionedvertically with respect to said base, an upright supported by said base,a cantilever platform mounted for up and down movement with respect tosaid track, guide rods arranged parallel to said track, separatingpartitions mounted for free up and down movement on said guide rods andpositioned between layers of stacked material to prevent the stack frombeing moved laterally, and collapsible legs mounted on said separatingpartitions which are in collapsed condition when said partitions are instored vertical position and which extend outwardly from said partitionswhen in horizontal position to space said partitions from one anotherwhen materials are stored on said platform.

4. Apparatus for storing material comprising an elongated support, meansfor supporting said support in a vertical position, a cantilevermaterial supporting carrier mounted for up and down movement on saidsupport, calibrated tension springs connected to said carrier to raiseand lower said carrier a distance proportional to the weight supportedthereon to maintain the top layer of the material at a substantiallyconstant elevation, separating partitions interposed between each layerof material, guide rods on which said partitions are threaded to preventthe stacked material from moving laterally, and a partition storagesection arranged at the upper 6. end of said apparatus forming acontinuation of said guide rods to store said partitions when not inuse.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS737,665 Rupley Sept. 1, 1903 1,347,846 Gelb July 27, 1920 1,488,962 WardApr. 1, 1924 2,335,379 Bersin et al Nov. 30, 1943 2,444,776 Kalning eta1. July 6, 1948 2,461,638 Gibbs Feb. 15, 1949 2,495,109 Kramer Jan. 17,1950 2,525,243 Shelley Oct. 10, 1950 2,604,996 Smith July 29, 1952FOREIGN PATENTS 30,248 Sweden Jan. 25, 1910 299,129 Great Britain Oct.25, 1928

